Farmer’s Natural Foods co-owner Roberta Poppell gives away a door prize March 13 during a lecture at the store featuring Lee Coe, a representative from the natural-wellness business.

Consumers packed Farmer’s Natural Foods on March 13 for an encore appearance by Lee Coe, a health consultant and representative from the natural-wellness business, who spoke for more than two hours, gave advice and answered questions. Coe, from Atlanta, touched on the natural healing properties of herbs, a topic he said he’s passionate about. He has visited Farmer’s Natural Foods a number of times during the past several years, and co-owners Jerry and Roberta Poppell said customers and employees look forward to his talks.“Lee is our favorite,” store associate Robin Groover said. “He promotes products that can benefit everyone and gives out such great information.”Coe credits herbal remedies with allowing him to get off of a mass of prescription medications that he was taking in his late teens due to injuries sustained when a drunk driver hit his vehicle.Having spent the past 18 years in the natural-wellness business, Coe told the crowd that in addition to sharing his knowledge on a wide array of herbal remedies, he enjoys hearing customers’ personal testimonies on how various herbal remedies have worked for them and changed their lives. He told the crowd that even though herbal remedies do work, a healthy lifestyle also must include exercise, wholesome food and limited stress.“You still have to do things right,” he said. “If you don’t, then you can take everything in a health-food store, but if the core of your health is bad because you are eating terrible foods, smoking and drinking and so forth, you will not get the most out of your nutritional program.”Coe answered frequently asked questions and offered statistics. According to the World Health Organization, he said, eight out of every 10 people on Earth use natural/herbal medicine as their primary health care.He added that one in four prescription drugs contain synthetic derivatives of plants and herbs because natural remedies are known to work. The problem with most prescription medications, he said, is that they work well for a period of time until the body adapts, necessitating different and stronger medications down the line. With all-natural herbal remedies, Coe said there are thousands of clinical studies that show they work, often without side effects. He said such remedies can reduce consumers’ dependence on prescription medications, but Coe recommends consulting a doctor when starting an herbal-supplement regimen.With so herbs out there, Coe chose a few dozen types from the store to talk about. Having just returned from a natural wellness conference on the West coast, he reported that there is one natural remedy that is popular and in demand these days.“Turmeric is a No. 1 trend on social media right now because a majority of diseases today are inflammatory,” he said. “Turmeric helps to cut inflammation naturally in the body and works on everything from joints to tumors.” After the talk, Coe talked with attendees about their health concerns and answered questions. Door prizes were given to those who stayed until the end. The lecture was a first for Teresa Harris, a Hinesville resident and owner of Victory Trophies.“I hate my (prescription) meds,” she said. “They have just gotten to be too expensive!” She said she attended the presentation to learn more about which herbs might help her battle high cholesterol and chronic fatigue. Harris said she’s concerned that the medical community keeps changing the criteria for who can receive certain medications. They keep lowering the “ideal” cholesterol numbers every few years, Harris said, meaning that no matter how much she improves her numbers, her doctor says she needs to stay on prescription medication.“This was very helpful, very informational,” Harris said. “I came looking for (all-natural) weapons to help me battle against my health issues so I can live a better life and get healthy again.”